Acer Aspire Z3-605-UR23 Review and Ratings

Editors’ Rating:

Our Verdict:
It's all right as a media consumption device, but if you've got a $1,000 budget for a 23-inch touch-screen all-in-one desktop, you can find better-looking, better-performing options than the Acer Aspire Z3-605-UR23. Read More…

What We Liked…

Gorgeous 1080p display

Quiet operation

Audio output from Harman Kardon speakers impresses

What We Didn’t…

Drab design

ULV processor holds back performance

Acer Aspire Z3-605-UR23 Review

Table of Contents

Introduction & Design

You can do better than the Acer Aspire Z3-605-UR23, and do so, in fact, without leaving Acer's stable. This 23-inch all-in-one (AIO) touch-screen desktop suffers from a drab design and sluggish performance, and it offers no price incentive against its sleeker, faster competitors.

To our eyes, the Aspire Z3 pales in comparison to the Acer Aspire 5600U-UB13, a thinner, swifter 23-inch AIO for the same price ($999 list, $100 or so less online). We also prefer the Lenovo IdeaCentre B540, another 23-inch all-in-one that can be found for under $1,000 online. Both the Aspire 5600U and IdeaCentre B540 look as much like a stylish consumer electronics device as they do a PC, letting them blend into a living room, den, or kitchen, while the Z3 looks like it belongs, well, on a desk.

The Aspire Z3-605-UR23 features a standard lineup of components for a mid-grade all-in-one. It pairs a third-generation Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of memory and relies on Intel integrated graphics. It supplies ample storage capacity with a 1TB hard drive, though there's no supplemental SSD cache to speed program loads or waking from hibernation.

The Z3 also lags behind similarly priced all-in-one PCs because its processor is an ultra-low-voltage (ULV) chip, which offers longer battery life on laptops but little benefit for a desktop that must remain anchored to a wall outlet. Sure, the Aspire Z3 runs quietly and will save you a few cents on your electric bill each month, but we'd trade some of that efficiency for faster performance. You'll likely agree with our assessment when you see its benchmark scores.

Design

The Aspire Z3's all-black design isn't likely to offend, but neither does it inspire. The system features a black plastic frame around the screen that dips below to form a wide U that serves as the front support. Free of any flourishes such as chrome accents, the design is functional in that it lets you stash the keyboard and mouse below the display, but we prefer a little more sizzle with our steak—something like the band of Lucite that makes the Aspire 5600U's screen appear to float, for instance.

The Aspire Z3 can tilt from near vertical (right) to slightly reclined (left), but some competitors can fold further back for more comfortable touch-screen sessions.

A kickstand leg swings out from the back of the system and offers about 30 degrees of tilt adjustment (like most consumer AIOs, the Z3-605-UR23 lacks screen height adjustment). The Aspire 5600U can fold flatter, while other all-in-ones such as the Asus ET2300INTI, Dell XPS 18, and Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon let you push the screens completely flat for a tablet-like touch-screen experience.